‘PENNIES FROM HEAVEN’ AT JCPENNEY

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF HENDERSON COUNTY INVITES SUPPORTERS TO DONATE ‘PENNIES FROM HEAVEN’ AT JCPENNEY

Campaign Seeks Donations of Change to Benefit Henderson County Youth

Hendersonville, NC (October 12, 2011) – From Oct. 12-25, shoppers at the jcpenney at the Blue Ridge Mall on Four Seasons Blvd. are invited to turn small change into "pennies from heaven” by rounding up their purchases and donating the difference to a local afterschool program. The Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County is one of 1,100 afterschool organizations from across the country matched with a local jcpenney store that will benefit from the proceeds raised during the pennies from heaven campaign.

"With a new school year already underway, we shouldn’t forget about the resources needed to keep kids involved in a positive learning environment after school,” said Scottie Parks, Club Executive Director. "As customers shop jcpenney this fall, we hope they will keep our mission in mind so that the social and academic learning opportunities we provide after school will continue to be available to students in Henderson County.”

National research shows that one out of four students in the U.S. is on their own between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.* The afterschool program offered at the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County serves more than 1,500 students each year by involving them in programs that help kids develop social skills, provide opportunities to be physically active and achieve academic success in school.

"For more than a decade, jcpenney has been deeply committed to helping kids spread their wings by making it possible for more students to participate in life-enriching afterschool programs,” said Marcia Crabtree, store manager for jcpenney. "When we leverage the power of a penny to create opportunities for learning, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our future leaders.”

For more information related to the pennies from heaven initiative, visit  penneyafterschool.org.

 

About the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County

The mission of the club is to inspire and enable young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, caring citizens. An all-inclusive membership costs $5.00 per child, per year.

The club opened in 1993, serving a handful of members in a 2,000 square foot building. Today the downtown Hendersonville campus has expanded to 35,000 square feet and accommodates youth from every school in the county public schools system. In 2010, the club served over 1,500 young people through programs focusing on education and career development, sports, fitness and recreation, health and life skills, character and leadership and the arts.

About jcpenney’s commitment to afterschool

As the leading corporate advocate for the afterschool issue, jcpenney partners with leading afterschool organizations to make life-enriching afterschool programs accessible for working families. Through its legacy of supporting youth and charitable organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Y, National 4-H, United Way and  FIRST Robotics, jcpenney formalized its commitment to the afterschool cause by establishing the jcpenney afterschool fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its inception, more than $100 million has been distributed to afterschool programs across every jcpenney community thereby making it possible for more kids to spread their wings. For more information, visit www.jcp.com/pennies.

 

* Data from Afterschool Alliance 2009 report America After 3PM.

For further information contact:

Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County

Julia Hockenberry, 828-693-9444,

juliarhock@yahoo.com

 

jcpenney

Daphne Avila, 972-431-3400,

jcpcorpcomm@jcpenney.com

 

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